The End?
by Spidersndue
Summary: Pokemon training is difficult. Pokemon training while living life on the run is quite difficult. Pokemon training while on the run chased by some of the most powerful people in the world because you hold a secret that can destroy the World as you know it is pretty much impossible. That's the fate a young trainer he's when he takes it upon himself to protect the greatest secret ever


The moonlit streets were silent as I walked by them. Not even the wind howled, unusual for the middle of winter, but nonetheless, a pleasant thing. The non-moving air would help keep me ahead of them, as it would do nothing to aide them, them with the most powerful sniffer dogs in the world. I needed all the help I could get. 2 weeks of running and hiding in the dredges of every city and town took a lot out of you. Perhaps tonight, drenched with blood, sweat, and mud, I would be able to sleep peacefully.

I quickened my pace, searching for the welcoming lights of a Pokemon Center. Although I had only been a trainer for a short time, I was already used to the red roof of the Pokemon Center. A requirement for living life on the run.

As soon as I saw it, I stepped inside, glancing around and trying to see and threat of danger that would provoke flight or, in the most extreme cases, fight. I had already learned not to challenge or battle everything that came across me, saving my Pokemon's strength until I had no choice but to use them.

I walked up to the counter. Whereas most centers were rather box-like and and clinical, this one was obviously meant for comfort and luxury rather than efficiency. The side door opened out onto a lavish pool area, complete with a battle pool for water-stadiums. A large and elegant spiral staircase stood next to the counter, in front of it a lounge complete with a fireplace and flat screen T.V.

The Nurse Joy herself paid no attention to me as I entered the extravagant lobby, he eyes focused on the T.V. I walked up to her and stood, silently. She didn't respond. I reached out and gently tapped my hands on the marble. Still no response. I cleared my throat, loudly. Again, her eyes didn't so much as flicker.

I sighed, loudly. So much for civilized approaches. I looked at that which captivated her so much.

The T.V showed an intense battle between a Bronzong and a Scolipede. I wasn't familiar with either, but they're names where emblazoned in bold white captions below them. I watched as the Bronzong served a direct hit with a Gyroball, and the Scolipede went down. However, the attempt soon proved dismal, as the Scolipede reared up and fired a powerful barrage of glowing purple spikes, hitting it's target dead on. A second later, it rammed into the other Pokemon with a Megahorn attack, knocking the Bronzong back in an explosion of smoke and dust. When the air cleared, the Bronzong lay in a crater, badly burned. I watched as a well dressed man stepped forward and recalled his Pokemon. Then, with a final nod, he turned and walked away. The scene faded, returning to a busy newsroom.

"And that was just a snippet of the powerful battle between Phsycic-master Lucian and Poison expert Koga. Now the image of the young man appeared again, accompanied by a gauant and serious looking older man. So, this was Lucian, the man who had commanded the fallen Bronzong. He looks more like a librarian than a member of the Elite Four. Koga, on the other hand, fit the title of Poison expert perfectly. His ninja suit was a deep purple, and he wore a dark hood. His hair and eyes were black, the very sight of them striking fear into the eyes of an onlooker, let alone his opponent. He had mastered the use of unnerving his opponent even before the battle started, allowing him to gain and advantage even at a disadvantage. I shivered, thinking what it be like to face him.

The T.V soon cut back to the newsroom, where they started going on about a suspicious fire that burst out in Lavaridge Town. Apparently the place had been burnt down to ashes., and everything inside had been destroyed. I soon lost interest in it. It was boring and conventional news. Honestly, any town that was literally built right next to an active volcano, with an entourage of Fire-type experts including the gym leader herself, and not to mention the dozens of Fire types that lived there, was it really that hard to believe that there would be a few fires?

Nurse Joy as well lost interest, finally seeming to notice I was there. Her face registered with confusion at first, but then softened into a bright smile.

"Welcome to our Pokemon Center. We restore your Pokemon to full health. We can also grant you a room for the night. Would you like to restore your Pokemon?"

I sighed. The line was so overused and terribly overrated. I looked back at her. Her smile was so wide it was almost painful. I gave a curt nod and she immediately reached a hand out.

"Excellent, may I see your Pokemon?"

I handed her one of my Pokeballs. Taking it in her hand, she reached the other hand out, mentioning for the other clipped to my belt. I kept a firm hand on it.

"This ones fine, ma'am."

"Oh, okay...would you also like a room for the night?"

I gave a curt nod. She smiled, less forced this time, and turned toward the back. "Audino," she called. A second later, the pink and crème Pokemon appeared, complete with a tiny little hat. She took the Pokeball in her paws and once again disappeared int o the back again. Nurse Joy turned back toward me.

"I truly am sorry for making you wait like that. I was just watching the outcomes of today's match ups. I missed it today, as I was tending to a very injured Whirlipede belonging to a young girl about your age. The World Tournament sure is something, isn't it?"

I gave another nod. Her smile became uneasy. Perhaps most trainers who passed this way were more eager to talk about the Tournament.

She reached down and took out a small set of keys. "I'm sure you'll be comfortable in Room 213."

...

I looked out the window. Silence. The world was empty and quiet. Far off, in the distance, I saw the vast emptiness that was the sea. In the night, it seemed surreal, an empty void that lay between the continents.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I threw myself onto the small couch. There didn't seem to be anyone out there tonight. Perhaps I could rest easy here, in the Pokemon Center, maybe even have a chance to shower. I sniffed my shirt. Take out the "maybe" on that shower...

I threw myself down on bed. I had just spent the better part of the hour cleaning myself up, applying medicine and cosmetics to the various cuts, bruises, and burns that lay on body. My hair was still wet from the dye that I had poured on it in my attempt to turn myself from a sullen blonde to an even more sullen brunnette. Let the Nurse Joy wonder about my appearance, it didn't matter to me. I would be out of here come morning.

I rummaged through my bag, looking for a belt that I had unceremoniously stashed in there before going into the shower. I would here no end of it in the morning if I didn't find it soon.

My hand closed around the familiar weight of the magnetic clip that was standard among Pokemon trainers. Mine was actually acquired recently, thus furthering my appearance as a rookie.

Pulling it out, I took a small metal capsule from it, painted and striking fiery orange and a bright red. I felt it in my hand, staring at the words embedded in the sides. "Silph-Devon," I murmured. How ironic was it that the very same object in my hand had saved me from the very same people who had manufactured it. The Pokeball was custom made, but that wasn't wad made it special. What made it special was the crystal that was welded into the center, making it adaptable to each and every Pokemon contained, as well as charging their power and turning them into powerhouses capable of destroying cities. There was only three in the entire world, one of which had also been stolen two years back, and the other under strict security in Silph-Devon headquarters. The other was in my hand.

I pressed the button in the center, filling the room with a white light. From that light came the unmistakable form of a Charmander.

"Char, Charmander!"

"Yeah, yeah buddy. I'm sorry I left you in there for a long time."

"Charmander!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry. No need for foul language."

"Der, Charmander!"

From the outside, there was nothing out of the ordinary about this guy. The cute bipedal lizard Pokemon was the object of adoration of most female trainers. However, I knew for a fact that inside it contained a flame hot enough to burn houses into ash, a mere shadow of which was reflected by it's tail, which towered at least a foot above other Charmander's. it was a powerful thing even before it had been captured by the Silph-Devon ball. If I didn't know that Charmander was capable of controlling the temperatures of his own tail, I would have never let him out in an enclosed space, much less a rented room.

Charmander's eyes sparked happily. He never got mad too long. I smiled and patted his head. "Alright buddy, let's get some rest, k?" We have to go a long way tomorrow.

"Char, Charmander!"

"No, no, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about him. He's resting quite happily. I gave him to Nurse Joy. He had gone through a lot over the past couple of weeks. Then again," I added, "We've all been through a lot."

I was proof enough for that. All the makeup in the world could not hide the fact that I had been living life on the brink of death for the last 4 weeks. One look at Charmander was enough for anyone to say that we were fugitives, hiding from the law. His skin was badly scratched up, and his eyes, while still sparking with energy, contained a tired an weathered gaze not fit for a Pokemon his youth. Perhaps I had been wrong to withhold him from the Nurse...

As I could somehow understand my own Pokemon, Charmander could just look at me and understand what I was thinking.

"Charmander, mander Charmander!"

"Hey, don't give me that! It's for you're own god you know!"

"Der, Charmander!"

His mouth opened and I saw glowing embers. "No, don't you..."

I never finished. I was struck my an onslaught of glowing fiery bullets, manned with such precision that they literally struck nothing else than me. A pain filled my whole body. I could only imagine the pain that would be caused if I wasn't already used to Charmander's little "temper tantrums." Leave it to me to get stuck with the most stubborn one of it's kind ever. I could hardly wait for it to evolve into Charmeleon, an even more stubborn Pokemon.

Charmander withdrew, and stalked off, which was hard to do given the size of the room. He finally settled on behind the couch, back turned towards me.

Knowing his typically quick cool downs, I settled myself down to examine my injuries, gently rubbing burn heal on them. I looked at Charmander after I was finished licking my wounds...an urge I had to resist.

I sat down next to him, staring at the wall. Eventually he spoke.

"Charmander, mander der charmander. Charmander char charmander."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I was just worried." Though Charmander was exceptionally powerful for his kind, there were still others stronger than him.

"It was stupid of me to pit you against that Palpitoad. Water-Ground? None of your attacks would have worked."

"Charmander, Charmander!"

"Perhaps if I had trained you more?" I sighed. "Yeah, you're right. But we don't have time for training. We need to stay alive."

"Charmander, char der Charmander."

"Yeah well, we're not like other trainers, are we?" I patted his head. "Alright fine, you win. There's a battleground at this center, along with a gym. Since it seems that we've lost them for now, we'll train tommorrow morning, but we have to leave before nightfall, or at the first hint of danger, k?"

"Char...Charmander!" His face lit up with joy. I chuckled softly. I probably shouldn't have withheld from training that much. A good Pokemon is vital to survival on the run. I had been so concerned with survival, I hadn't let them battle any wild Pokemon, choosing to flee rather than fight. The only times I had ever let them battle was when it was extremely important, like the incident with Palpitoad, who had raider our camp, trying to make off with supplies. It was only through sheer luck did I manage to defeat it.

"On one condition, little buddy. You have to promise to get yourself healed."

"Charmander..." It would be an insult to his pride, being a wild Pokemon, but it was necessary.

"Alright, little guy. Let's get some sleep."

"Mannder, Charmander!"

...

As I lay in bed that night, I thought about how I somehow managed to end up here. A poor boy from a tiny village in an island in the middle of the ocean couldn't possibly dream of being a Pokemon trainer. And yet, here I was. Tired, ragged, scarred, burnt, bruised, scraped, and generally been Entei's personal chew toy, but at least I had a future.

Or did I? I didn't know what I was going to do later on. Right now, all that mattered was staying ahead of my enemies, was that what I was destined to do for the rest of my life, protecting a secret that had the ability to destroy the world? Or was I going to fight back, secretly training my Pokemon on the run, waiting to be strong enough to fight the enemies who were chasing me.

I didn't know, and I desperately wanted to. My whole life I believed that I would be stuck on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Now, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. And yet, I could do nothing about it. I needed and answer, a sign, something that would help me choose which way to go. While one route led to certain death, the other led to excruciating pain and torture. The problem was, I wasn't sure which was which.

"Arceus help me..." I murmured, half awake. It was the last thing I remembered before fading into an uneasy sleep.

Little did I know I would find the answer to my question the very next day.


End file.
